50 Greatest WWE Raw Moments Ever
6. JERICHO (August 9th, 1999)
Thanks to politics and pettiness, the ready-for-everything Chris Jericho took several months to win over Vince McMahon (and his peers) upon arriving in a white hot WWE from a freezing cold WCW in 1999, but he couldn't have asked for a better first impression than the pop his name flashing across the TitanTron received from a boisterous Allstate Arena.
Paying off a 'Countdown To The Millennium' tease as an industry worst-kept-secret, the response to the reveal could still extract goosebumps from a mannequin today. Simultaneously expressing relief for his Atlanta escape and celebration of his overdue arrival, the 'Ayatollah' was made an 'A*saholla' by The Rock pretty sharpish, but even his cartoonish gurning at 'The Great One's usual beats couldn't undermine a breathtaking bow. Jericho was openly critical about his performance in the years that followed, but in something of a trend to come for a lot of his pre-2020s career, his sheer commitment to his bit aged beyond specific gripes.
Jumps were and are a thrilling aspect of a thriving wrestling scene, but this was less reflective of a turning point in a ratings war and more scintillating evidence that a boxed-in talent was at long last where he needed to be.